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What is Spyware?

Spyware is a program that is installed, with or without the user's permission, and can monitor computer activity while broadcasting the information back to an outside party that controls the program. Spyware comes in many shapes and sizes. Some types of spyware are simply an annoyance causing increased spam or unwanted pop-ups, while others can threaten your financial security in the form of stolen credit card numbers and passwords. These pests often lurk silently on your computer until someone or something sets them off.

The National Cyber Security Alliance reported that nearly nine out of every 10 home computers contains spyware. Spyware does more than than just steal information about your computing habits. It robs you of system speed, internet access efficiency (bandwidth) and system stability.

Common Pest Categories Include:

Spyware. Steals information about you, your computer and your surfing habits.

Adware. Displays unwanted advertising to your computer; can track your Web surfing habits and report it back to a central advertising server. It can slow your PC to a crawl by bombarding it with unwanted ads.

Keyloggers. Can record every keystroke you make on your PC and steal your passwords and confidential data.

Browser Hijackers. Can reset your default homepage and search results. Some may prevent you from changing your browser's homepage back to its original default or visiting a particular site.

Remote Access Trojans (RATs). Give a hacker complete control over your PC, as if the hacker was at your keyboard.

Browser Helper Objects (BHOs). Can search all pages you view in Internet Explorer and replace banner advertisements with targeted advertisements, monitor and report on your actions, and change your homepage.

Delivery Methods of Spyware Include:

>Personalization Cookies
->Trojans
-->Drive-by-Downloads
--->Hacking
---->Piggybacking Spyware

(via) ----> E-Mail, Visited Web Sites, & Pop-Up Ads & Images

While spyware may seem similar to viruses and worms it as much different. Spyware tends to propagate differently and is generally more resistant to quick-and-easy removal than most viruses. That is why the best solutions aren't found in anti virus packages, even if they include basic spyware-blocking features.

Spyware programs have hundreds of bits of individual code that are cumbersome, difficult and risky to manually remove. They can include self-protection mechanisms that have constant rewrites to the registry; and they can even have two copies running at the same time to protect each other. This type of code removal is better left to the professionals.

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